Two guards watched a hawk circle the giant pine tree near the dungeon's entrance. The massive gate of the dungeon was closed to everyone after what had happened to those who explored the new section. They were there when the only two survivors of what happened crawled out of the dungeon. The boy screamed about things and abominations in the dark as he was dragged away to a Healer to get his wounds treated. After that, the City Watch immediately ordered the immediate closure of the dungeon while they discussed how to deal with the situation.
It was a boring job, but it beats having to go into the hell they guarded. It paid well too, and all they have to do is to just stand around all day. The soldier to his right yawned loudly as he turned towards the other man. He scratched the beard on his face while he gave the young man beside him a small flask.
"Here. Some of the wine I brought with me."
"We shouldn't be drinking on the job, you know?"
"Eh, fuck it all. It's not like a monster would crawl out of this place. The damn bird is still here, that means nothing dangerous is climbing out of this place."
The young man glanced at the hawk nervously while his friend waited for him to take the flask of alcohol in his hands. He let out a sigh as took the small flask and opened it.
"Don't worry. It's not that strong a spirit. It's just something to soothe the nerves."
"Thank you."
He took a swig of the wine. It was good wine but it was watered down a bit too much. His partner smiled at him as he wiped away the wine on his lips.
He passed it back to his partner, content with the single swig he took. Too much drink and he might not be prepared for any dangers that might walk out of the dungeon. The young man looked up at the hawk to see if anything changed, and he found that it was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it was just circling somewhere else? Maybe it got tired and took a rest? That struck him as odd since he never really saw the bird take a rest unless it is night.
Then he heard his partner gasp, followed by the flask being dropped to the ground. The wine spilled on the hard dirt below them as his partner peered into the dungeon. He looked back as well, his hand already on the handle of his sword. There were three figures shambling in the distance, one carried a torch while the other two groaned at each other. They were ascending the stairs rather quickly, and the two of them weren't sure if there were others behind them.
"By the Gods... Undead!"
He didn't want to leave his partner behind. There were three Undead walking towards them and who knows how strong they are!
"W-We can take them on! There's only three of them."
"Don't kid yourself, boy!
His partner snapped at him as he raised his battleaxe. They were getting close now, but their figures are still obscured by the darkness of the dungeon.
"I'll hold them off! You-"
The figure holding the torch dropped it made a loud groan. Then they watched as the "Undead" smacked the other two figures on their head.
"Can the two of you stop bickering already?! I didn't fucking know those people were already Zombies! So stop fucking kicking me while I walk!"
The "Undead" shouted loudly, his tone towards the other two was that of anger and irritation. The two of them lowered their weapons as they stared at them in bewilderment.
"I already told you that they were fucking strange! But what did you do?! You still approached them asking for directions out of here!"
"Those things tore off the lower half of my robe! How will I even show myself in the city?! Y-You better help me with this, Stefan!"
"Shut up! We're finally out of here and the two of you start nagging my ears off! Gods! This is the worst!"
The three of them stepped out into the light and outside of the dungeon's door. The two guards stared at them in shock as the three of them finally took notice of them.
The two of them stared with wide eyes as the three figures stood in front of them. They looked tired, exhausted, and half-dead if you asked his partner. But they were alive. Worse for wear, but very much alive. The man in the middle looked like he crawled himself out of hell and the Elf looked more like a wild animal than a person. The young girl behind them was covered in cuts and scratches and the lower half of her robe is just gone. To be honest, he really thought that they were dead until the man spoke up with an exhausted voice.
"Oh... H-Hello? Are you not Undead?"
The man that was holding the torch earlier asked the stunned guard in front of him. He turned towards the Elf beside him and scowled.
"There! I asked the guy before grabbing him by the shoulder. You happy?"
"Tch! They're clearly with the City Watch, you fucking idiot! Hey!"
The Elf girl snapped at him, her fingers snapping as she ignored her companion's angry mumbling.
"You got anything to drink?"
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Stefan grumbled to himself as he looked at the woods that surrounded him. The cart was too small for him to ride in so he had to walk beside it as they rode down the path that led to the dungeon. The two guards that escorted them rode on top of their horses, quietly murmuring among themselves while Semilia and Riel helped themselves to the rations stowed away on the small cart.
"S-Stefan, right? You were part of the team that... dove into the dungeon, correct?"
"Yes. Me and those two damn idiots were part of the dive. We're not Undead, so please stop looking at us like we are."
"S-Sorry."
"Can't blame us for looking at you like that! I mean, have ya' seen yourselves?!"
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, what's with the Watch doing by posting guards here in the dungeon? Something crawled out of the dungeon after we got in?"
The older guard shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
"Erm... The City Watch didn't want a repeat of what happened last month. So, they posted guards around the entrance while they thought up a solution about the dungeon."
"Yeah. The Watch Captain and the Adventurer's Guild are pretty upset when you guys disappeared a month ago."
Stefan stared at the two guards. Semilia and Riel stopped stuffing their faces when they heard their words. Something unpleasant churned in their stomachs, and it wasn't the milk they drank earlier.
"What... What do you mean by a "month"? We've only been gone for a day or two at most."
Stefan gulped as his trembling voice reached the guard's ears. The two exchanged uneasy glances once more as the two girls behind them shifted in their seats.
"S-Sir... You've been gone for a month now. The expedition took place a month ago... T-That's why we thought you guys were dead. N-No one could possibly survive a month down there with only a few days worth of provisions on them."
"A-Are you alright? You looking pale over there."
Stefan's face paled as he finally realized why the surroundings looked so wrong. The plants and trees around him are more overgrown and everything around him felt off, somehow.
If a month has passed since they entered the dungeon, it would explain why the air suddenly felt a lot colder now. Stefan looked at the other two in the cart and like him, their faces were a mix of many emotions. They only spent a day down there in the depths and if a month really did pass by, he would surely have noticed it with his damn face. But seeing as how the stubble on his face didn't need its weekly shave, he definitely knew they didn't spend too much time down there.
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So he did what he does best. He simply bit down on his lip and began to think. This wasn't the first time he heard of such events happening to people. Fairy circles and the wild antics of the Fair Folk are a common occurrence in the countryside, but never has it happened like this. So Stefan racked his brain for what might've caused this to happen, then he remembered just how they escaped the dungeon.
"The door..."
He whispered grimly as he gritted his teeth.
"What a dungeon. One group gets out saying they've been stuck there for weeks on end, the other says they've only spent a day down in the darkness."
The older guard shuddered as Stefan picked up on what he said. The older man turned towards him and sighed. The man easily picked up on Stefan's shocked expression and replied kindly.
"You weren't the only ones that got out, you know?"
"T-There are others?!"
Semilia jumped up, her sudden movement almost made her fall out of the cart. The older guard scowled as he shifted the weight to the opposite side to stop the cart from falling over.
"Sit down, Elf! You're making the Dwarf blood in me boil! Yes, you people aren't the only ones that escaped. There are two others besides yourselves. A pair of siblings crawled out in the middle of the night a few hours after the expedition began. I was there when we had to carry the poor lad down to the city."
"I was also there, but I didn't see what happened. I heard the commotion, then I saw a girl being wrapped in blankets as other adventurers spirited her away to a wagon."
"Ah. So you didn't see what happened to the boy? That's good then. You might've run from this job if you did. Poor lad, he was. Still too young for such a thing to happen to him."
"W-What happened to him?"
Riel squeaked out softly as the older man took out a flask. He took a large mouthful of the wine before he passed it to his partner.
"Lost his fighting arm. He'll need to learn how to use his left arm from now on since there's no way a prosthetic one could help him now. Lost everything from the shoulder down due to the skin rotting as well as most of it being chewed off by Gods know what. If what he said was true, it was a miracle he didn't die after the first few days of his hand getting chewed off. Even the Gold Ranks are baffled on how such a boy can last for two weeks down there."
"And the sister?"
"Blind in one eye. She was still carrying the arrow that gouged it out when they crawled out. Eye was already black and the hole was clearly infected with some type of poison, but she said she wanted a replacement for it. Thankfully, the girl's recovering quickly but I doubt she'll continue being an adventurer."
Stefan looked at the uneasy expression the guard had on his face. He was clearly shaken up by whatever he saw, yet he kept up a stoic face for his partner.
"W-Well... the three of you luckily didn't end up like that. But you should get your wounds treated as soon as you get to the city."
The younger guard smiled in an effort to make the mood lighter. The other guard just sighed and shook his head at him.
"Sorry for my partner here. He's still new to the job but he means well. I'm sure you folks want to be alone right now. I can't even imagine the horrors you had to go through in that damned place."
"Oh, it's fine. Talking actually helps get my mind off things. By the way, I still haven't gotten your names."
"Hm? Must've forgotten to introduce myself. My name's Alric, I'm just a lower ranking Guardsman in the City Watch."
"And I'm his senior officer, Druven. Senior Guardsman of the City Watch and the only Half-Dwarf to reach such a status in the city."
Semilia's ears perked up at the words "Dwarf" and she immediately looked up at the old man. The three of them definitely thought that he looked like a "Senior" Guardsman, even Alric chuckled at his words. It made the old Guardsman scowl for a bit, but then the Half-Dwarf just let out a sigh as grunted at them.
"What? You making fun of my age? I'll have you know that I still have at least a decade more of service before I can retire from my post! Hopefully, that comes soon if my partner does his job right."
"Hmm. You're awfully tall for a Half-Dwarf."
Semilia looked at him curiously but Druven didn't seem to mind it. He smiled cockily and flexed a muscular arm at her.
"I take after my mother in height. But when it comes to muscles, I got to thank my father for the Dwarven blood in me. Makes it easier to lift up my axe!"
"Typical Dwarf. Wouldn't be surprised if you know how to work a forge as well."
"Oh, he actually makes fine jewelry during his days off in his workshop. Although it's his daughter-"
"Shut it, boy! How will they learn if their old man doesn't teach them how? I need to be there to guide and teach them our people's craft! It would be a shame to close down that family business of ours!"
"So he really is a Half-Dwarf."
Riel muttered out while Semilia chuckled softly.
"Hrr... Laugh all you want, Elf! You know I can hear you!"
"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean anything by that chuckle. I just found it amazing that a Dwarf has the time for two jobs."
"Hah! My father had to work TEN jobs just to raise all seven of us! That man's as stubborn as any Dwarf, I tell ya! I want my two precious children to look up at me like that! What good is a Dwarf if he can't even lift a hammer!"
Druven smiled and laughed proudly while Alric and Stefan both let out a sigh. The forest was now filled with their noise, and Stefan could see Alric whispering something under his breath. He heard what sounded like a prayer of safe passage.
"I'm sorry for my companion. I'm sure she must be disturbing the two of you."
"Hm? Oh! No, not at all! In fact, it's the first time I've seen Duven be this talkative with an adventurer. He doesn't really like them due to the trouble they always cause us back in the barracks. So it's a surprise to see him be this boastful around an adventurer and an Elf."
"I see... Thank you for accompanying us down the mountain, by the way."
Alric blinked at Stefan, then he turned away and scratched the back of his head.
"D-Don't mention it. It's part of the job, you know? And we'll also have to write up a report about this anyway."
"Right, right. Reports. Ah..."
It felt odd for Stefan. Talking with another Human should be much easier, but why isn't that the case right now? Was he too troubled by the thought that a month has passed without them even knowing about it? Is he just nervous around a Guardsman? Or perhaps the company of the strange Goblin they met more preferable to him?
"Sorry, Mister Stefan. I'm not really great at striking up a conversation with others. I'm just a regular Guardsman who tries to avoid anything extraordinary, so I don't have any stories that might suit an adventurer."
"It's fine. I actually enjoy hearing about ordinary things. Things about having children soon, wife being an earful or very loving, or a good tavern to drink at would be great things to talk about."
"W-Well... I'm not really qualified to talk about those things. I'm still not married and I'm pretty sure I'm not a father to anyone. I also don't drink very often and I only go to the local taverns whenever Druven invites me."
The young Guardsman laughed nervously while Stefan let out a sigh.
It's not like he hated Alric's company, but Stefan knew this isn't going to work. At least the Goblin had stories to tell, even if it was all about mushrooms. He simply drooped his shoulders and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. He decided that he'll just past the time by thinking about what happened down there.
Massive walls stretched upwards as the city of Arenhein came into view. It was the smallest of the Seven Great Cities of Old Arluk, but its walls were nothing to scoff at. It stood in the middle of the Arendine Valley with its massive, black walls that stretched up to a hundred feet in height. Some parts of it have been replaced with stone due to the damages brought about by centuries of war and the effects of time, but it was still an impressive sight to behold.
Around the walls of the great city are various villages and small towns that are nestled at the base of the two mountains that flanked both of its sides and a handful of them are built along the ancient walls of the city. The river Aren flowed through the valley and through Arenhein, its blue waters flowed freely from the mountains and served as the lifeblood of the region.
"We're just a few hours away from Arenhein now. I think we'll make it by sunset if we stop by one of the villages for lunch. Do you want to have lunch?"
"Sure. It will be good for the horses to have a short rest."
The horse Alric rode neighed at Stefan's suggestion. Stefan smiled and stroke the horse gently as he took in the scenery in front of him. Then the began to move once more.
"Arenhein... It's good to be back, I guess."
Stefan glanced at the two girls sleeping soundly at the back of the small cart. Semilia was snuggled up against Riel the mage was curled into a small ball.
The two guards bickered loudly as they rode through the dirt path that leads down into the valley. The chose between Doe's Hill Village or at Burrowville for food. Druven wanted to eat at Doe's Hill since the elk steaks and boar chops served in the taverns there are always fresh. Alric wasn't too keen on eating meat after Druven's anniversary last week, so he wanted to eat at Burrowville since the Halflings there served mostly vegetables. Stefan just wanted some strong liquor so he chose the best place to go to for drinks.
"How about Grenthill? That place has the best taverns, right?"
"Grenthill? Hmm... Well, I guess cod is fine. Maybe I should buy some fish as well since-"
"Cod?! If we're going to Grenthill, I'll be the one to choose a tavern! My brother owns an inn there and that man knows how to brew up a nice spirit!"
"Fine. But don't go forcing me to eat any more meat! I could still feel the damn boar we hunted bobbing in my stomach somewhere."
"Bah! Then go eat the fish and chips he's famous for. That succulent, white meat that's covered in beer batter is the best in this region! But I'd suggest to Mister Stefan here that he try the smoked lamb his inn offers! Delicious, red meat that falls off the bone with fresh juices that oozes out each time you bite into it! A dish fit for a noble, I tell ya!"
Stefan laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't really excited about the idea of walking on a full stomach, but the thought of eating what he described made his stomach growl.
"Sure. But I'm more interested in that brew you're talking about."
"Hah! You won't even be able to finish a bottle of that stuff!"
The two of them made bets while Alric planted the palm of his hand on his face in disappointment. If the Watch Captain knew that they were gonna go drinking in the middle of the day, she'd surely be going nuts by now.
"Oi, Al! Don't go telling any of this to Riza. She'll be twisting my beard if she heard-"
"Yeah, I know. I'm guessing I have to drink as well?"
"Well now, I think it's only fair! How about you, Stefan? Care to share some of your stories over a glass of whiskey?"
"Sure."
While Druven the Half-Dwarf laughed, Alric sighed as he made a mental note of adding 20 push-ups to his morning routine tomorrow. Stefan just smiled at them, his jumbled thoughts about their situations still weighed heavy on his mind. He looked at his hands caked with dirt and grime, then sighed loudly while he shook his head.
"I definitely need a drink.